Bathing seductively in her home, Regan uses all her powers of persuasion to delay Oswald’s delivery of a message from Goneril to Edmund (and to warn Goneril to back off of Edmund, whose heart she thinks she’s won), telling Oswald to kill Gloucester at once if he ever sees him. Meanwhile, Gloucester asks Poor Tom (Edgar) to lead him to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, where he intends to jump to his death. Edgar tricks his father into thinking he’s at the railing of the bridge, and Gloucester, falling forward, faints on level ground. As his father wakes, Edgar takes on a new persona, convincing Gloucester that Poor Tom was a phantom and that Gloucester has miraculously survived his fall, giving him renewed faith and hope. They are interrupted by King Lear, who rides in on a rusted bicycle, railing in fits of madness and clarity at everything he encounters until he recognizes and soothes Gloucester, only to run away again when Cordelia’s soldiers spot him. Edgar leads his father from the bridge to a cable car, where Oswald, riding in the back of the cable car, sees them and tries to stab Gloucester to death. He is killed instead by Edgar, who discovers Goneril’s letter to Edmund in Oswald’s pocket. Father and son flee from the scene as the police approach.

The Play On Podcast series KING LEAR, was translated into modern English verse by MARCUS GARDLEY and directed by ERIC TING. 

The Play On Podcast Series King Lear is produced by NEXT CHAPTER PODCASTS and is made possible by the generous support of THE HITZ FOUNDATION. Visit N C PODCASTS DOT COM for more about the Play On Podcast Series. Visit PLAY ON SHAKESPEARE DOT ORG for more about Play On Shakespeare.

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The Cast is as follows:

KEITH DAVID as King Lear

GINA DANIELS as Goneril

AMY KIM WASCHKE as Regan

FRANCESCA FERNANDEZ McKENZIE as Cordelia

CHRISTIANA CLARK as the Earl of Kent

ALDO BILLINGSLEA as The Fool

BERNARD WHITE as the Earl of Gloucester

TRAMELL TILLMAN as Edmund

DANIEL JOSE MOLINA as Edgar and the Duke of Burgundy

LANCE GARDNER as Oswald and The King of France

J.D. MOLLISON as the Duke of Albany and the Doctor

REX YOUNG as the Duke of Cornwall

Casting by THE TELSEY OFFICE: KARYN CASL, CSA, and ADA KARAMANYAN

Voice and Text Coach: REBECCA CLARK CAREY

Episode scripts were adapted and produced by CATHERINE EATON

Original Music, Sound Design, and Sound Mix by LINDSAY JONES

Sound engineering by SADAHARU YAGI

Additional Engineering by DANIEL BEN-SHIMON

Mix Engineer and Dialogue Editor: LARRY WALSH

Podcast Mastering by GREG CORTEZ at New Monkey Studio

Line Producer: JORDAN MOORE

Managing Producer: ROBERT CAPPADONA

Senior Producer: MIRIAM LAUBE

Executive Producer: MICHAEL GOODFRIEND

The Senior Manager of Business Operations and Partnerships at Next Chapter Podcasts is SALLYCADE HOLMES.

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